61-yard pass closes gap, but Tigers fall to Pierz 25-22

Fans gathered at Big Cat Stadium for a second consecutive home game on Friday, this time with weather not quite as pleasant as for Homecoming. We were unusually blessed for the Homecoming game. As the fall weeks pass, the odds for these conditions lessen. We felt the more fall-like conditions on a misty Friday when the Pierz Pioneers came to town. 

The moist nature of the day meant no pep band. Fans enjoyed a hard-fought game out on the Big Cat artificial turf. The outcome was in doubt much of the time. When the four quarters were done, the Pioneers could savor the 25-22 win. The Tigers remain over .500 at 3-2. Pierz came out at 4-1. 

Surely we had strong suits on the night. Such as, the 208 rushing yards ground out by Durgin Decker. Decker was handed the football 24 times. The passing game saw Brandon Jergenson put up 22 attempts. His completion percentage wasn't great but his yards-per-completion definitely was great: He was eight of 22 for 140 yards but unfortunately, three of his aerials were picked off. Turnovers hurt - we had five in all. 

Pierz played a more conservative game with Andrew Winscher completing five of seven aerials for 121 yards, a great average-per. The Pioneers' Reece Young carried the ball for 85 yards. Teammate Zach Jones rushed for 74. 

The Pioneers jumped ahead 13-0 before MACA could get on the scoreboard. When finally the refs signaled "touchdown" for MACA, it was when Jergenson passed 12 yards to Toby Gonnerman. Then in the third quarter, Jergenson passed to Jackson Loge on a short TD hookup. At this point we had crept out in front 14-13. A tenuous lead, yes, and we lost it when Young of the Pioneers scampered 20 yards for six. A Jones scoring run of 34 yards got the Pioneers up 25-14. Then came Jergenson's third scoring toss of the evening, when he found Dylan Rose open for a big 61-yarder. MACA was now within three points but we'd get no closer. 

The orange and black is now striving to stay above .500. Next up: at Minnewaska Area. 

A look over area scores from Friday prompts some concern. We see a brutal 81-0 final score. Was this really necessary? It was Wheaton-Herman-Norcross outdoing Bertha-Hewitt. Are fans really served watching such a thing? Couldn't fans find more constructive endeavors, than to watch such a thing? Perhaps some fans were angry by game's end. Look, it isn't worth the trouble - everyone forget about it. Put aside the emotions connected with high school sports. There are few winners when it comes to this. I'd be embarrassed as a fan of WHN to even watch this game. Maybe boys should play volleyball instead.

 

Volleyball: BOLD 3, Tigers 0

This season has been rather an uphill proposition for our MACA volleyball Tigers. I know there are some good athletes on the team. I see familiar names from softball. But the team has had a hard time getting it together to seek victory. And on Thursday there was no reprieve as the Tigers got swept by BOLD at Olivia. The 0-3 outcome had these scores: 13-25, 21-25 and 16-25. 

BOLD is having the opposite type of fall campaign from the Tigers. The Warriors upped their record to 14-3, 6-1 in the WCC. I have only BOLD stats available, sorry. Nellie Borer had three serving aces and Delaney Tersteeg had two. In set assists we saw Tersteeg and Layla Pfarr with 15 and 14 respectively. Three BOLD Warriors each pounded down seven kills: Abby Meyers, Leslie Snow and Ady Knake. Caylee Weber had five kills and Kenzie Visser four. Three Warriors each had two ace blocks: Meyers, Visser and Mari Ryberg. In digs it was Ryberg with eight and Snow with seven.

Tennis: success at Benson

The tennis girls of MACA/WCA showed a winning flair at the Benson courts. We edged the Benson/KMS girls 4-3. Let's take a look at singles where we see Abbigail Athey prevailing at No. 1 over Elise Duncan, 6-1 and 6-3. We came out on the short end at No. 2 singles, Kassidy Girard getting bested by Hannah Helms 5-7 and 4-6. 

Our Catherine "Cate" Kehoe prevailed at No. 3, 6-3 and 6-0 over Elle Klescher. At No. 4 singles, Claire Stark downed Abby DeToy 6-0 and 6-3. 

We didn't fare so well in doubles, but good enough to assure a team win for MACA/WCA. At first doubles, the Benson pair of Eleanor Habben and Milgo Abdi won 6-1 and 6-4 over Kjersten Nibbe and Hope Sperr. At No. 2, Benson's Bella Quisberg and Anna McNeill downed Lakia Manska and Breanna Schmidgall 6-4 and 7-5. We got our win at No. 3 where the tandem of Lydia Fynboh and Elizabeth Pollard prevailed 6-2 and 6-3 over Alana Hettver and Kya Oakes.

Swimming/diving

The RFC was the site for swimming/diving action that had Sauk Centre as the opponent. Our swim team has MACA combined with Minnewaska Area. Sauk Centre was the victor 112-74. Shannon Dougherty was a standout for the home team as she won the 50 freestyle. She was also second in the 100 free. Audrey Dorweiler placed third in the 50 free.

Accent on diving: here we had Taryn Picht in second, Clare Barnstuble in third and Grace Mortenson taking fourth.

Media notes:

A friend forwarded me the apparently new E-newsletter from the Morris newspaper. The friend and I were not certain that the new feature was going to be welcomed. My friend wondered if people would see it as "stuff the paper didn't have room for in its regular product," which would be an admission that the regular product isn't cutting it, which in terms of size it probably is not. 

Did I miss the photos from the MAHS Homecoming coronation? Were they someplace I just didn't notice? 

My reaction to the E-newsletter? I think many people will see it as just more "email junk." It may not be bereft of value but sometimes we just get inundated. Many of us already get "Friday Facts" from the Chamber, an item that has had negligible value during our closed-down year with the pandemic. Activities got revived some, but what now does the future hold? This coming winter might be worse than last year. Masks are now required indoors on the UMM campus. 

My "Friday Facts" often lands in spam. That happen to you too? There are times when I automatically delete it, as I would probably do with the newspapers's E-newsletter. 

I really do wish the paper well. However, for all the bluster from Reed about how we need to preserve rural newspapers as a "watchdog" on government, I do not sense, at all, any such orientation from the paper in terms of asking tough questions of people in public positions, making them squirm sometimes. 

I admit I don't see the Morris paper every week. I could stand corrected on anything. But the paper could be probing more on two matters: the water treatment plant and the softball complex. Has the paper reported that the initial announcement of new city water at five grains of hardness has been pushed all the way down to 15 grains, and what this might mean for local residents who might be confused as hell? That's a big change. Why did it happen? Has the newspaper asked? 

As for the softball complex, didn't the school board release a new sum of $220,000 in the recent past, like maybe three months ago? I have seen no new work done at the place, outside of some piles of dirt the purpose of which is not readily apparent. And what about the lights around the new Holmberg Field which we were apparently promised by the funeral home? The funeral home got a nice bunch of attention in the local media with its gesture. 

The softball complex haunts us, as a not very fan-friendly place. The newspaper might stimulate discussion on this, ask planners about their rationale for how it's all laid out. I'm sure there are other subjects where the Morris newspaper could act as a watchdog. Reed continually writes about how this is such a worthy purpose. What I have seen of the paper, it seems to be a "positive" lapdog for local public/government officials. A simple blog might do better. Anyone up for it?

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com